Otherwise normal children may be afflicted with cranial abnormalities, known as plagiocephaly, which also contribute to facial asymmetry. Such abnormalities are correctable, particularly if treatment is undertaken at an early age, preferably when the subject is less than six months old. The subject can thus be spared the indignity of going through life with a cosmetic disability.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,229, granted Mar. 10, 1992, for "CRANIAL REMODELING ORTHOSIS", the present applicants discuss different approaches to cranial remodeling and disclose an improved cranial remodeling band for correcting plagiocephaly. Reference is made to the patent for further background art for the present invention.
The band orthosis of the '229 patent is effective for treatment of a variety of cranial abnormalities. However, it is believed that one particular form of abnormality can be corrected with somewhat different orthosis design and treatment methodology. This abnormality is known as brachycephalic cranial head shape abnormality. The brachycephalic head shape expresses itself as occipital flattening of the cranium with resultant biparietal breadth and/or height abnormalities usually accompanied by bi-temporal and frontal breadth abnormalities. The supernormal brachycephalic head shape is one in which the maximum cranial breadth departs from established anthropometric norms in being disproportionately large in relation to the maximum cranial length.